The Kolkata Knight Riders will lock horns against the Rajasthan Royals in a much-anticipated clash at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday. With a solitary win in the four league games for each team, they will look to make amends and get their campaign back on track.
View this post on Instagram
The two teams head into this game, with KKR having a better record of winning 12 games out of 22 matches played so far. The Knights have dominated their opponents by registering four comprehensive victories in their last five encounters.
The boys in Purple and Gold are heading into the game on the back of a spirited comeback against Chennai Super Kings. After tottering at 31-5, the team came agonisingly close to achieving the target of 221 runs, courtesy some batting blitz by the middle order.
With Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik and Pat Cummins in fine form, the batting line up is oozing depth and will be one of the strengths for Team KKR.
View this post on Instagram
The team management would also expect some more runs from their young gun, Shubman Gill. The youngster will need to convert his starts into a big score and lay a solid foundation for the team to build their momentum on.
While the Wankhede Stadium is known to be a batting paradise, the team will need the bowling unit to be a lot more consistent with the line and length.
In a close game like the last match, one of the crucial aspects was the number of extras conceded by the team. Without those 10 wides and three no-balls, KKR would have had an easier target to chase.
View this post on Instagram
Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals will have plenty to ponder over, following their dismal performance against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. The team has been struggling with the top order batting performances.
While they have been heavily reliant on Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson, the duo have not been able to shoulder the responsibility and take the side through.
View this post on Instagram
The lack of experience in the bowling department is also hurting the Royals. Apart from Chris Morris, the bowling unit is relatively new and tend to crumble under pressure, especially at a high scoring venue.
KKR Squad list:
Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Tim Seifert, Rahul Tripathi, Rinku Singh, Dinesh Karthik, Eoin Morgan (c), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Varun CV, Kuldeep Yadav, Pat Cummins, Lockie Ferguson, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi, Sandeep Warrier, Prasidh Krishna, Shakib Al Hasan, Sheldon Jackson, Vaibhav Arora, Karun Nair, Harbhajan Singh, Ben Cutting, Venkatesh Iyer, Pawan Negi
RR Squad list:
Sanju Samson (c), Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, Riyan Parag, Shreyas Gopal, Rahul Tewatia, Mahipal Lomror, Kartik Tyagi, Andrew Tye, Jaydev Unadkat, Mayank Markande, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Anuj Rawat, David Miller, Manan Vohra, Christopher Morris, Shivam Dube, Chetan Sakariya, Mustafizur Rahman, Liam Livingstone, K.C. Cariappa, Akash Singh, Kuldip Yadav.
